Pune: External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Saturday said Bharat needed its own narrative to redefine international relations beyond the parameters of western thoughts.Jaishankar said, “Economics may have shifted and the politics may be shifting, but if the culture doesn’t move alongside these shifts, then those shifts will always remain incomplete. Unless we are able to put our lens in place, they [other countries] will never look at us in a way, which best serves our interest.”The Union minister was in the city to address the International Relations Conference, titled ‘India’s Strategic Culture: Addressing Global and Regional Challenges’, at Symbiosis International (Deemed University) campus in Pune on Saturday.“G-20 Summit spoke about the economic rebalancing of the world. Over the years, there has been a political rebalancing in the world. But it is not just about who is talking, but also what they are talking about, whose terms they are using, what is the narrative, metaphors and concepts,” Jaishankar said, while giving example of Greek phrase ‘Thucydides Trap’ being used by an old civilization like China to communicate with the US.“We still fall back on a terminology, which is so western, to communicate the basic views and concerns. And this is the power of narrative,” the diplomat-turned-politician said.Jaishankar emphasized on the need to look at history with fresh eyes and with an open mind. “If we put politics aside, and re-examine our near past, with an objective and dispassionate view, we will see that our record is much more complex and our thinking much more nuanced,” the minister said.“Our future will never really bloom in that way unless we have our own cultural foundations. Today, Bharat needs its own narrative. If we are to be one of the voices of the global south, if rebalancing is to get more traction, if we are to see a significantly different world in the next 50 years, it is highly important that we address not just the economics and the politics and the technology of the world, but also look at the cultural history, traditions, political science and international relations,” Jaishankar added.
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